In the distance, the road to Tipperary beckons~♩
There’s still a long way to go~♪
In the distance, the road to Tipperary~♫
To see the most beautiful girl~♬
Walking down this endless road, one can’t help but remember this song, even though it should be sung by the Lanforthians across the river.
She didn’t sing it aloud but hummed it in her heart, her lips moving silently. It wasn’t the right time to sing in Lanforthian language, not with the Diacla Army’s line so close.
Just thinking of those melodies from her past life made her forget her current troubles—it was a comforting thought.
Not knowing the way, she followed the train tracks, heading away from the Yang River, feeling a bit lost.
She didn’t know where Nangong had gone with the medical corps, or if her soldier’s uniform would be spotted by the rear guard.
Thinking back to the reasons for her parting with Nangong a few hours ago, Lin Yu felt a pang of regret for her uniform.
“If only there had been an extra medical uniform for me, I wouldn’t have had to split from Nangong,”
Lin Yu muttered to herself, fidgeting with the collar of her shirt.
She then removed the medal from her chest, tucking it into the inner pocket of her uniform, along with the painkillers and a letter.
She didn’t see the medal as an honor; it only proved how much blood she had spilled in this war. In fact, she had never been injured by the enemy since joining the military as a doctor.
Her few injuries were from Nangong slicing her with a scalpel, once by accident, and another time from an explosion during a bomb disposal. All self-inflicted and not severe.
Lin Yu walked for hours, seeing no one along the way. The tracks and sleepers stretched endlessly ahead, and the surrounding hills seemed to loop in a low-quality game animation. She felt trapped in an endless loop, never reaching the end.
The sun was setting.
Just as she started to wonder if everyone had retreated across the border, Lin Yu finally heard some noise from behind her, calling her name.
“Lin Yu…”
Who could be calling her name from behind? Nangong should be ahead; did I overshoot?
She turned to look back, seeing the tracks stretching infinitely. Alongside the parallel rails, a figure was running toward her on the gravel path.
“Lin Yu!”
It was Yang Xi.
Her anticipation quickly turned to disappointment.
His presence meant she hadn’t gone far, and it also meant the rear guard was still ahead, continuing their retreat.
Lin Yu stopped, one hand on her hip, standing on the rail, “Weren’t you supposed to be a messenger? Or is there something the commander wants to tell me?”
“There is,” he said, his breath steady, unlike someone who had just run several kilometers. “Commander Mo received orders about us. All the remaining troops of the 224th National Defense Brigade are to be reassigned and reorganized at the rear, so I’m retreating with them as well.”
“Oh.”
The news didn’t surprise her. A placeholder brigade, largely filled with ghost soldiers, had been decimated by the Lanforthians. Fewer than one in ten soldiers remained. It was surprising they were being refilled, especially considering the “Prince of Qi” who originally commanded this elite unit, which was now reduced to nothing.
“Anything else?”
“Yes, the Black-armored guards you knocked out have woken up. I reported their actions to Commander Mo, and they are now being assigned to the front lines for defensive duties.”
Good, military discipline was upheld, thanks to the justice-minded captain. Their fate was similar to that of the supply officer who once falsely accused her. Sending them to the front before they died was a mercy.
“Meow.” She mimicked a cat.
“?”
Yang Xi didn’t understand the slang from her past life, so Lin Yu explained, “I’m expressing approval of the captain’s wise decision. You can understand it that way.”
“Ah, I see.”
Explaining internet jokes from her past life to someone from this world was quite abstract.
After a brief separation, the two walked side by side along the gravel path next to the tracks. Having company on this long road eased the fatigue and loneliness. The sun had completely set behind the hills before they reached a checkpoint guarded by sentries, where the Diacla flag flew proudly.
****
Lin Yu and Yang Xi followed the instructions to a clearing where about a dozen people were either sitting or lying down.
“Are we supposed to stand by?”
The officer in front of her replied to Lin Yu’s question, “Yes, wait here for further instructions.”
The officer belonged to another unit, not the 104th Reserve Battalion, but likely the one they were about to join.
The surrounding people were remnants of the 224th Defense Brigade, the only ones left from the few hundred who once fought together in trenches. Some were wounded, bandaged, and it made her sad to see them.
Quickly, her sadness turned to joy as she spotted the lone woman among them, a medical corps member.
“Nangong! You’re here too!”
“……Lin Yu? Where did you go? Why did it take you so long to get here?”
Nangong was also among the scattered survivors, sitting alone on a crate of ammunition. She stood up as soon as she saw Lin Yu and pulled her close by the hand.
“When we were preparing to retreat, the rear guard stopped me, saying I was an infantry soldier and couldn’t leave. So, I stayed in the tent, taking care of a few critically injured patients.”
She sat down next to Nangong and shared her experiences from the past few hours, leaving out the part about the five Black-armored guards.
It was already handled by her and Yang Xi, and mentioning it now would only cause unnecessary worry for Nangong. After almost losing her once, Nangong was overly emotional this time. “I waited for you for so long and thought something had happened again. I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
They leaned against each other, genuinely hoping their friendship would last forever before finally parting ways.
“Ah, this must be…” Nangong looked up at the figure who had accompanied Lin Yu, “the one Lin Yu always talks about, right?”
He had seen Nangong before, treated often in the medical tent, and even spent a day with Lin Yu and Nangong outside the supply area, where they bought a small stray dog.
“…”
He remained silent, not answering Nangong’s question.
“Hey, answer when someone talks to you,” Lin Yu glared at him briefly, then answered Nangong’s question herself, “Yes, he is. You’ve met before; he’s been to the tent several times. A few days ago, we were all together…”
Her voice trailed off, becoming almost inaudible, “I… do I really talk about him that much?”
“Not to the point of being obsessed, but it’s close.”
Nangong noticed Lin Yu’s sudden change in tone, leaned in, and whispered in her ear, “You know, I’ve noticed you’re quite fond of him.”
“W-what?!” Lin Yu’s gaze shifted to the ground, and she started fidgeting with her uniform. “It’s just that he’s helped me a lot, so I’m thinking of ways to express my gratitude. You mentioned once that finding a way to show thanks without gifts was important, remember?”
Her voice grew softer, almost inaudible, and it was hard to hear the rest.
“P-please don’t look at me like that.”
“Okay, okay, I won’t. Let’s talk about something else.”
Nangong smiled knowingly, skillfully changing the subject to spare Lin Yu further embarrassment.